Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2009 Subaru Tribeca, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes2
- Structure1
- Electronic stability control (esc)1
- Electrical system1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
In the United Kingdom
4 cars built in 2009 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 5 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In New Zealand
44 2009 cars are on the New Zealand register; 7% arrived as used imports, 93% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 13.1 L/100 km (about 18 mpg US), CO₂ 301 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribeca · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.8 | 11.1 | 13.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2009 Subaru Tribeca.
| 2019191 18 Apr 2019 | Electrical Issue: A problem with certain replacement ignition switches may allow the key turn out of the “ON” position while driving. This could cause the engine to turn… |
| 2018019 10 Jan 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2016048 1 Feb 2016 | Structure On certain vehicles, the primary and secondary hood latches could fail at the same time. If this were to occur, the hood could open unexpectedly while the vehi… |
| 2012444 27 Dec 2012 | Accessories On certain vehicles equipped with dealer-installed accessory puddle lights, a short circuit may develop causing the lights to melt and/or emit smoke. This could… |
| 2008442 16 Dec 2008 | Other On certain vehicles, the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) G-sensor may have been incorrectly installed during vehicle assembly. This could affect vehicle handling… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Baja, 2009 Forester, Legacy and Outback and 2006-2009 Impreza (including WRX and STI models) and Tribeca vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Tribeca vehicles manufactured November 16, 2004, to January 27, 2014. Due to a possible malfunction of the hood safety system and hood lock system, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving.
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback vehicles, certain model year 2006 through 2012 Tribeca vehicles sold before January 2012, and certain model year 2009 through 2012 Forester vehicles sold before January 2012. Up to 78,650 of these vehicles may have been equipped with accessory puddle lights that, when illuminated, brighten the area under the doors of the vehicle. A short circuit can develop when either the puddle light or connector are exposed to an electrolytic moisture source (such as road spray that has road salt in it) and it penetrates the circuit board of the puddle light or the pins of the puddle light connector(s).
SUBARU IS RECALLING 5,130 MY 2008-2009 TRIBECA PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL (VDC) G-SENSOR WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED. THIS SENSOR IS DESIGNED TO BE MOUNTED IN A FORWARD FACING DIRECTION BUT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED BACKWARDS DURING PRODUCTION.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Subaru told its dealers about the 2009 Subaru Tribeca: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10248224 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. has determined that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain Subaru vehicles listed, equipped with a non-desiccated Takata-sourced passenger side frontal airbag containing the propellant Phase Stabilized Ammonium Nitrate (certain specific vehicles only). |
| 10241801 | The purpose of this bulletin is to provide replacement key and immobilizer information along with an overview of the Subaru Lock Information web-site. |
| 10235894 | Revision to Troubleshooting Information for VDC DTC C0071 |
| 10235882 | Optional Genuine Subaru Puddle Lights |
| 10235881 | Preliminary Inspection and Repair Procedure for Puddle Light Campaign WQE-41 |
| 10234840 | Correction to Diagnostics for 5AT-Related DTCs |
| 10233145 | WQE-41 Campaign ? Component Part Update |
| 10233125 | New Subaru Recall Campaign: Optional Genuine Subaru Puddle Lights |
| 10232879 | Replacement Key and Immobilizer info |
| 10232535 | Replacement Key and Immobilizer Info |
| 10219492 | This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models. |
| 10219491 | This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. |
| 10209924 | This bulletin announces design change to the water pump assembly. |
| 10209922 | This bulletin outlines the operating characteristics of the Remote Climate Control operation on hybrid vehicles. |
| 10209915 | This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic essential information during diagnosis and repair of the Infotainment concerns. (Applicable to all models with Harman or Denso CP1 Infotainment). |
| 10205910 | This bulletin announces design change to the water pump assembly. |
| 10198758 | This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models |
| 10198749 | This bulletin is to advise of SOAs revised catalytic converter recycling program shipping procedure. |
| 10188201 | This bulletin announces availability of new front wheel hub assemblies incorporating bearing surfaces having increased resistance to imperfections resulting from shock loads. |
| 10187315 | To help reduce confusion and increase technician efficiency, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) has developed the following cross reference list to help locate the appropriate Special Service Tool. |
| 10186348 | The purpose of this bulletin is to provide replacement key and immobilizer information. |
| 10179378 | Special Service Tools Cross Reference List. |
| 10174543 | All Models (Vehicle Cleaning- COVID-19Best Practices) |
| 10171084 | The purpose of this bulletin is to provide replacement key and immobilizer information along with an overview of the Subaru Lock Information web-site. |
| 10161824 | Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newletter. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)